Hershey Park with Kids

We went to Hershey Park for the first time this week. We left on Sunday morning and stayed the night, leaving Monday late in the afternoon. Thanks again to Priceline we got a pretty good deal on a hotel that was close to the park. 

I had heard lots of positive things about Hershey Park but was not expecting much and was not sure how the kids would be at the park. I had seen the maps on the website but just didn't realize how big it was until we got there. I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the park and the amount of rides and attractions there were for kids under 5. 

The first thing we did when we got to the park was of course get our tickets. We got to the park a little after 10am (when it opens) so there was a line, but it wasn't bad and it moved pretty quickly. Once, we got our tickets, we moved along towards the gates where they check your bags. 

Love how you can bring your own bottled water (supposed to be unopened, although when we re-entered the park after grabbing dinner, they did not even notice our bottled water was open). I guess it just depends on who is checking your bags. You aren't really supposed to bring food in, but we brought some snacks for the kids and put them at the bottom of our backpack on both days.

Once inside, we had my 5 year old measured for the rides. We knew he was right at 42" so we wanted to get a wristband so they would not have to keep re-measuring him. He got his wristband, but please note that it only works for land rides and not for the water slides. We found out the hard way as Hubby and my 5 year old waited in line for a water slide for 30 minutes, and once they got to the top, the lifeguard had them go back down as my 5 year old was not 42" barefoot. My husband was upset, but I understand it is for safety reasons. 

Something neat they have at the park is the family finder wristbands. We got them for the kiddos in case we got separated. You write your name and cell number on the inside of the wristband that the kids are to wear throughout the park. It's a great idea. You never know when your kid might get separated from you, so it's always better be safe than sorry.

On to the rides, there was so much to do for both boys! My 5 year old had the most fun since he could go on some of the bigger rides with an accompanying adult. My 3 year old also had fun as there were lots of rides that both boys could go on together. They had mini versions of some of the bigger rides, so it was cute to see both kiddos riding alone together. 

There were also rides where I took one of the kiddos and Hubby took the other, so all 4 of us got to ride at the same time. It was a great time for all of us.

We tried to get in as many rides as we could before lunch, as after lunch on both days, we headed to the water park. One thing I want to mention about lunch is that the food in the park is pricey. We found that one of the cheaper options was Subway. It was what we did both days for lunch and it was also a healthier option. A pretty cool thing that happend both days was we saw music performers while eating. The first day was saw Tuba players, and on the second this cute little band. They made eating lunch a bit entertaining.

As to the water park, this area of the park is called the Boardwalk.

It is pretty awesome as there is so much to do, from lounging on a tube in the lazy river, or getting sprayed by water at the spray park area. I loved how they had two areas for the little ones (Sandcastle Cove and Bayside Pier) with mini slides. It was perfect for them. East Coast Waterworks was nice too as there were little slides but it was a bit more crowded. The Shore was also nice, as it was a big wave pool.

I think we hit most of the rides that the kiddos could do for their heights. We did do the Ferris Wheel at night, which was pretty awesome. It's really neat to see the park lit up from way up high.

Some other notable rides with views of the park are the Kissing Tower and taking the monorail. We did both and enjoyed the cool views.

The last thing we did to close our trip was visit Chocolate World.

 We enjoyed the free chocolate tour ride and of course getting our free candy at the end.

 We had the boys pick one souvenir, and this is what they picked out.

I would say that our visit to Hershey Park was pretty awesome. There was lots to do for the whole family. I can see how even when the kids are older they will want to keep going back as there are so many roller coasters for the bigger kids and adults. You know it's a great trip when both kiddos are already asking when they can go back. Looking back at our time there, I recall all the smiles both boys had, their faces full of excitement and pure happiness. It's priceless. I'm sure the boys will remember Hershey Park for a long time.

What's your favorite amusement park? Why?